One other week brings one other new companion for Southwest Airways.
The Dallas-based airline on Tuesday introduced it would group up with German leisure service Condor Airways in a brand new partnership.
Like all of Southwest’s new partnerships, this tie-up with Condor will begin small — however ought to finally provide Fast Rewards loyalists new connectivity to Europe.
Southwest and Condor: What to know
Primarily based in Frankfurt, Condor is understood for its colourful, striped planes and gives a robust on-board expertise on transatlantic flights. That features a bona fide lie-flat business-class expertise up on the entrance of its planes, which TPG’s Eric Rosen tried out earlier this yr.
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As a part of the brand new Southwest-Condor partnership, you can ebook itineraries that includes connections between the 2 carriers. The partnership will give attention to journeys between Condor’s Frankfurt Airport (FRA) hub in Germany and half a dozen U.S. gateways, together with:
- Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS)
- Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS)
- Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
- Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX) in Oregon
- San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA)
Joint itineraries on the 2 carriers will launch on Jan. 19, and prospects with a Southwest-Condor connection will see their checked luggage switch from one aircraft to the subsequent similar to on any connecting itinerary.
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What to learn about reserving
From the outset, you can ebook these joint Southwest-Condor journeys solely by way of Condor’s web site and sure third-party websites like Expedia.
Nonetheless, Southwest plans to begin providing companion bookings by way of its personal channels in 2026.
And, Southwest has made clear: It hopes to finally enable its loyalty members to earn and redeem factors by way of its worldwide companions. If and when that occurs with Condor, it might provide a significant new alternative for Fast Rewards members to get to Europe — and even hook up with Africa.
Southwest’s rising listing of companions
It is value noting that Southwest already has a partnership with Icelandair — which additionally has a robust presence in Europe. This previous yr has additionally seen the service launch interline agreements with Taiwan’s China Airways and EVA Air, in addition to Philippine Airways.
Backside line
Condor appears a pure match to companion with Southwest in Europe, with its heavy give attention to leisure vacationers — and the truth that, like Southwest, it isn’t a part of any main world airline alliance, and thus does not have deep ties to any of its prime rivals within the U.S.
That stated: Southwest is not truly the first U.S. airline that Condor has teamed up with. The service has partnered with Alaska Airways for years, and the service’s Atmos Rewards program already gives companion award redemptions on its flights.
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